Of Flowers and Clouds
by semifully
Summary: Ever since he was little, he drew his pictures with clouds and a blue sky. To this day, he still did. - 1827.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

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><p>It was not that Hibari Kyouya was anti-social. Truthfully, he could be the ideal person if he wanted to. He was smart, strong, handsome, and not to mention – kind. But he started to realize that all people were selfish. They took advantage of kindness and used that to their own gain. That disgusted him to the point he knew everyone had to be punished. Therefore, he became the Hibari Kyouya that everyone feared.<p>

He began to see everyone as irrational and worthless. They were worse when they crowded amongst themselves. There was a reason why he only sought the strong and that was because the strong usually isolated themselves from the weak – the weak that consisted of those disgusting people. Hibari felt a connection to those powerful others.

However, he couldn't understand one certain person.

That said person was named Sawada Tsunayoshi, a boy who went to kindergarten and was two years younger than the raven-haired. They both went to the same elementary school, so it was not hard to Hibari to see the other. Actually, everyone knew the little boy as the weakest and most useless boy compared to the rest of the school body. And being Hibari, he had no interest in the weak.

Still, the second-grader found himself observing Tsunayoshi. During lunch break, the brunet was always outside drawing on a piece of paper with only a sky-blue crayon. He was always happily humming the elementary school anthem while making outlines of clouds with the crayon. When he finished drawing clouds, he would color the background. The result? A childish picture of a white clouds with a blue sky.

Hibari wasn't sure why the other young boy drew clouds every single day without fail. Even when it was raining, Tsunayoshi would draw until the umbrella, trying to keep the picture dry, while he was getting soaked. What made that so called "pathetic" boy so determined to draw and color the same picture each passing day? It made no sense.

That made Hibari grow even more interested in the brunet. Even though others taunted the young kindergartener for drawing the same picture, Tsunayoshi still never failed to do that activity. Despite all the teases and name-calling, Tsunayoshi stayed strong and remained kind to the rest of the students, all that with a warm hearted smile. This was an amazement for Hibari. He had never seen someone withstanding so much.

He grew to respect Tsunayoshi.

And then, one day, something happened.

Like the usual days, Hibari didn't see the young boy in school during lunch outside. At first he shrugged it off, thinking that it was just those days people were absent from a little illness. Tsunayoshi would be back the next day – he was strong like that.

But, no. Tsunayoshi never came back after a week.

The raven-haired boy was getting worried. Why was Tsunayoshi absent for so long? If it was a week, it couldn't be a small sickness. It had to be something more serious than that. That's why Hibari went on a rampage around the school, beating up others in order to find out the cause for the little boy's absence.

"He's in the hospital!" one of the school bullies squeaked in fear.

Hibari beat him up with a tonfa soon after the bully said that. Based on what other kids said, Tsunayoshi started missing school because he was seen beaten up (almost to death) near the school. Hibari wasn't stupid. It was the bullies who did that.

The second-grader knew that adults got presents for people they cared about who were recovering in hospitals. He cared about Tsunayoshi, right? So presents he shall get, and Hibari knew the perfect present to get for the younger boy.

The next day, Nana was elated to see a basket on the floor in front of her son's room. She clasped her hands with joy, picked up the present, and rushed in the room with a loud "good morning."

"Mommy..." the brunet groggily yawned, rubbing his eyes with his small hands. "Why are you so loud right now? Did daddy come back from Anty-articah-y with lotsa oil?"

She giggled at her son's cute pronunciation. "No, Tsu-kun, but you got a present from a special someone!"

He blinked, wondering who would get a present from. It's not like he had many friends at school, so who would send him a...full basket of presents? A teacher? No. His own teacher thought he was stupid. Not being able to think of any other possibilities, the boy just took the basket from his mother's hands and looked inside with curious honey-brown eyes.

As expected, he gasped.

Colorful flowers circled around the borders of the basket all in a pattern of beautiful, vibrant colors. Inside the woven carrier contained many sheets of paper with crayon boxes. He could see what were inside the boxes from the holes – sky-blue crayons. Oh, and not the forget, a note.

_Dear Tsunayoshi,_

_Don't listen to others. You are strong, and your strength comes from your kindness. Continue smiling and drawing those white, puffy clouds embraced by the big, blue sky. And don't worry. From afar, I will protect you. Just stay being you._

_From, your secret admirer_

_P.S. Those are gladiolus flowers. They mean strength and generosity. Oh, and love at first sight, but that's not important._

Needless to say, the brunet knew exactly who the person was. And with a smile, he looked out the window and to the sky. There were clouds, just like the ones in his pictures.

**. . .**

"Hey, Tsuna," Yamamoto said, getting his friend's attention to him. "I've been wondering. Why do you always draw pictures of only the sky and clouds? There's nothing else on it. Not even birds or the sun, haha!"

Tsuna looked up to the baseball player with a warm smile, and then turned back to his picture as his eyes softened.

"This is for a special friend who's been by my side for a long time."

"Aha, really? Who is it?"

The smile never left his face. "The lone cloud who I will forever embrace."

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><p><strong>Should I do a sequel? Hm...<strong>

**T**hanks for reading! **Reviews are appreciated~ Tell me what you think? C': **


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